356 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
with guano and farm-yard manure; the second 
on turnips grown with guano alone, the third 
on turnips grown with farm-yard manure alone. 
The ground selected for the growth of the roots 
was part of a square-shaped field, about 41 
imperial acres in extent, sloping to the north in 
ridges fully 450 yards in length. The land 
varies distinctly and suddenly in quality across 
the field, being a dry gravel on trap-rock at the 
top, rather stiff clay in the middle, and heavy 
loam mixed with stones at the foot; but, from" 
the ridges running up and down the field, each 
ridge has the same extent of the different 
descriptions of soil. The preceding crop was 
oats, after one year’s grass pastured; and the 
previous crops and management having been 
always the same over the whole field, it may bo 
safely affirmed that the quality and the con¬ 
dition of the land was equal for each lot of 
turnips. The oat stubble having been plowed 
up during the winter, the land was twice 
grubbed in spring, besides being rolled and well 
harrowed. The drills were then drawn off, 30 
inches apart, and 30 drills were allotted for 
each description of manure, each lot adjoining 
the other. There was applied per imperial 
acre, to the first lot, 3J cwt. of guano, and 10 
carts of farm-yard manure; to the second, 6-^ 
cwt. of guano; and to the third, 20 carts of 
farm-yard manure. The guano used was the 
best Peruvian, and the farm-yard manure was 
well made, and of excellent quality. They were 
all sown on the 7th of May, 1852, with the 
Fosterton hybrid, or green-topped yellow tur¬ 
nip. They were singled 12 inches apart on the 
18 of June, at which date there was no discern¬ 
ible difference betwixt them. By the 1st of 
July, however, those manured with farm-yard 
dung alone, were decidedly behind in strength 
of leaf; and in appearance, as well as in reality, 
they continued inferior to the end. From the 
remarkably warm season, and the early period 
at which they were sown, a considerable number 
of plants shot into the flower, and ultimately 
not a few of the bulbs became rotten. The lot 
to which the farm-yard manure was applied was 
eight or ten days later than either of the other 
two in having any shot plants in it, but long 
before they were fit to be removed from the 
ground, there was at least an equal proportion; 
neither could it be said that the unsound bulbs 
were more numerous in one case than another. 
On the 14th of October, portions of each lot of 
turnips were topped and rooted, driven home, 
weighed, and laid aside for the separate lots of 
cattle. In a month afterwards the whole were 
removed from the ground, when the weights of 
the crops of sound bulbs, without tops or roots, 
were found to be as follows, viz.: After guano 
and dung, 20 tons 16 cwt.; after guano alone, 
19 tons 5 cwt.; and after dung alone, 17 tons 
14 cwt., all per imperial acre. 
The cattle selected for feeding were from 
England, being what are sold in the market for 
Short-horns, though perhaps not pure bred on 
the mother’s side. They were bought in Edin¬ 
burgh market on the 2d of June, and were 
then two years old off. They were grazed 
together on a field of old pasture, until put on 
turnips, in feeding-yards, on the 14th Septem¬ 
ber. These turnips were grown with guano 
and farm-yard manure, being the same variety, 
and from the same field, as those experimented 
with. They were supplied with as many as 
they could consume, besides mixed cut straw 
and hay. Thus every precaution was taken to 
give them all a fair start before the trial actually 
commenced. On the 16th October, an experi¬ 
enced cattle salesman selected 18.out of 30, and 
divided them into three lots of six. Each animal 
was then numbered and weighed, and the gross 
weight of each lot was found to be wonderfully 
near. The feeding-courts, and the turnips 
grown with the different manures, were allotted 
to them by chance, though the former were 
very similar, each having abundance of shed- 
room, and being almost identically the same in 
size and exposure every way. Numbers 1 to 6 
inclusive were fed on turnips grown with guano 
and dung; numbers 7 to 12 inclusive, were fed 
on turnips grown with guano alone; and num¬ 
bers 13 to 18 inclusive were fed on turnips 
grown with farm-yard manure alone. For three 
months each lot received daily equal weights of 
food, which averaged lh cwt. of turnips to every 
animal, besides 10 lb. of small and diseased 
potatoes, and 5 lb. of cut hay, mixed with cut 
straw. In about a week after the experiment 
began, they were all slightly seized with mur¬ 
rain, and one of them was seriously affected— 
viz. No. 13—being the first in the list of those 
fed on turnips grown with farm-yard manure. 
He eat but little for some time; and, from being 
decidedly the best-conditioned animal in any of 
the lots, he became the leanest. Perhaps it 
would have been better if he had been with¬ 
drawn from the trial altogether; but as he 
always eat a little, he was allowed to remain. 
For about a fortnight the other two lots could 
have consumed nearly 1 cwt. of turnips each 
daily more than they received. This was tried 
for a couple of days, when they were again 
restricted to the same allowance for^each court. 
The animals were all re-weighed on the 8th of 
Janqary, 1853, and the three following tables 
exhibit the first weight of each beast and lot, 
and the difference on them, and their average 
increase of weight twelve weeks thereafter. 
Table No. 4 is No 3 repeated, but omitting the 
animal. No. 13, which, for the same reason 
stated above, was lighter than when first 
weighed. 
Table 1. 
No. and weight of cattle fed on turnips grown 
with guano and farm-yard manure. 
Weight on 
Weight on 
16th 
Oct. 
8th Jan. 
stones, lb. 
stones 
. lb, 
76 
7 
88 
0 
72 
5 
83 
1 
82 
0 
95 
1 
69 
10 
82 
0 
78 
0 
88 
0 
83 
o 
95 
7 
461 
10 
531 
9 
461 10 
6) 69 13 
Average increase of each beast, 11 9 
Table 2. 
No. and weight of cattle fed on turnips grown 
with guano. 
Weight on 
Weight on 
10th Oct. 
8th Jan. 
stones, lb. 
stones, lb. 
No. 7, 
74 
0 
85 8 
8, 
77 
0 
89 0 
9, 
81 
12 
'95 C 
o, 
72 13 
89 5 
11, 
69 
11 
79 4 
12, 
79 
0 
94 7 
461 
8 
530 2 
461 8 
6) 68 8 
Average 
increase of each beast, 11 6 
Table 3. 
No. and weight of cattle fed on turnips grown 
with farm-yard manure. 
Weight on 
Weight on 
lGtli Oct. 
8th Jan. 
stones, lb. 
stones, lb. 
No. 13, 
72 
7 
70 4 
14, 
91 
7 
103 0 
15, 
76 
0 
92 2 
16, 
71 
0 
80 0 
17, 
75 
0 
86 9 
18, 
74 
0 
84 6 
460 
0 
516 7 
460 0 
6) 56 7 
Average 
increase of each beast, 9 G 
Table 4. 
Being table No, 3, but omitting animal No. 13; 
Weight on 
16th Oct. 
Weight on 
8th Jan. 
stones, lb. 
stones, lb. 
No. 14, 
91 
7 
103 
0 
15, 
76 
0 
92 
2 
16, 
71 
0 
80 
0 
17, 
75 
0 
86 
9 
18, 
74 
0 
84 
6 
387 
7 
446 
3 
387 7 
5) 58 10 
Average increase of each beast, 11 10 
The increased weight of those fed on turnips 
grown with farm-yard manure, but not includ¬ 
ing No. 13, as shown in Table No. 4, is only 1 
lb. each beast more than those fed with turnips 
grown with guano and farm-yard dung mixed, 
while these again increased 3 lb. each above 
those fed on turnips grown with guano alone. 
The difference, therefore, betwixt the greatest 
and smallest increase only averages 4 lb. on the 
live weight, the money value of which does not 
exceed one penny per week each beast for the 
time the experiment lasted. Besides, it must 
be taken into consideration that the cattle in 
both of the Tables Nos. 1 and 2 were for a fort¬ 
night on rather short allowance, while those in 
Table 4 had more food during that time than 
they could consume, and for which some allow¬ 
ance might be claimed were the average pro¬ 
gress not so close when No. 13 is omitted, as in 
1'airness it should. It may be remarked that 
the turnip crop, as a whole, in 1852 , was in¬ 
ferior or below an average in point of feeding 
qualities as well as weight of crop. In examin¬ 
ing the increased weight of the different animals 
in all the lots separately, it will be observed 
that they vary considerably, but it is well 
known to be nearly impossible to find any two 
animals that will feed exactly alike for any 
length of time, however accurately their food 
may be apportioned. Still, when a considerable 
number of animals are allotted together, and 
placed into separate divisions, and under iden¬ 
tical circumstances, it will be found that their 
aggregate increase will be tolerably uniform. 
Doubtless, the larger the number of animals 
experimented on, the greater is the likelihood 
of a'correct result being obtained. It may be 
presumed that five or six animals, as in the 
present case, are a sufficient number to prevent 
any serious mistake, and from which to draw a 
fair conclusion, it may readily be inferred that 
there is very little difference, if any, in the feed¬ 
ing qualities of turnips raised with guano alone 
from those grown with farm-yard manure. In 
this case, also, as in all other experiments made 
by the writer, the heaviest crop was produced 
by the mixture of these manures, while the 
advantage, on the score of cheapness, and it is 
a most important one, was decidedly in favor of 
guano. Indeed, it is to the invaluable aid of 
the latter, that the farmers of the United King¬ 
dom are mainly indebted for having been suc¬ 
cessfully carried through a transition state of 
doubt and difficulty, the approach of which few 
regarded without alarm, as it was not unfelt 
even by those who had strongly advocated the 
propriety of the change.— Trans. Highland 
Agricultural Society. 
- •-© «- 
Extraordinary Endurance of Hunger in 
Sheep. —We see by our exchanges that Mr. 
Ames, of Jefferson, took from under the snow, 
after the late rain storm, a sheep which had 
been buried in the drift for 17 days. This is 
not a solitary instance of the kind, however. 
We have seen authentic accounts of animals 
being buried in the snow a much longer period, 
and afterwards recovering .—Maine Farmer. 
The better animals can be fed, and the more 
comfortable they can be kept, the more profita¬ 
ble they are—and all farmers work for profit. 
